Tag: Military history

Military feeding has evolved dramatically since the days of hardtack and salted meat, driven by advancements in food science and nutritional understanding. Today, the food provided to military personnel is specifically designed to meet the extreme demands of their varied environments, from dining halls to remote combat zones.

Across history, military food provisions were often defined by logistical and technological limitations, not culinary preferences. This meant that what was included in the typical diet of the soldier could vary drastically depending on the era, location, and nature of the conflict. From the basic gruel of ancient times to the complex, self-heating meals of today, a soldier's rations tell a story of endurance, innovation, and survival.

Article 26 of the Third Geneva Convention mandates that prisoners of war receive a diet 'sufficient in quantity, quality and variety to keep prisoners of war in good health and to prevent weight loss'. However, the actual number of calories a POW receives is not specified and has varied wildly across different conflicts and captors throughout history.

Dating back to the Neolithic period, one of the earliest examples of a fortified structure is in Jericho, where a stone wall was constructed around 8000 BCE to protect the community. Understanding what is heavily fortified means examining the strategic placement, robust construction, and layered defenses that have defined military architecture for millennia, adapting continuously to counter evolving threats.